The Great Bible Story

The Great Bible Story The great Bible story is retold in simple words for daily reading. You can read it here, or on my web site. Subscribe to email at www.c-n-c.org/tgbs.htm

18/03/2024

Inviting you to visit my website and access articles, books and videos.
https://www.c-n-c.org

19/02/2024

The Great Bible Story #46
Joshua gets deceived
Jacob Ninan

When the people of Gibeon heard about what Israel had done to many kings, they got scared. So they took to great guile to deceive the people of Israel. A few of them got together, put on worn out clothes and worn out sandals, took some torn wineskins and dried up bread with them, and went to meet the people of Israel, pretending as if they had been travelling a long distance. When they came to Joshua and the other leaders of Israel, they narrated a story of long and hard travel from a far distance and said that they had heard about the fame of Israel and what they had done even to kings like Sihon the king of Heshbon and Og the king of Bashan. Now they wanted to make a covenant with Israel and make themselves their servants.

The leaders of Israel believed what they heard because they did not consult with God, and Joshua made a covenant with the people of Gibeon. But three days later the people of Israel discovered that Gibeon was nearby and that they were actually staying in their land at that time! But they could not do anything to the Gibeonites because the leaders had already made the covenant with them. So they made the Gibeonites to be their servants, to cut wood and carry water for them.

Now Adoni-zedek, king of Jerusalem, heard about how the people of Israel had conquered Ai and enslaved Gibeon which used to be a big city with mighty men. So he got together four other kings and incited them to go with him and attack Gibeon. These five kings and their armies went and camped near Gibeon and started fighting against it. The people of Gibeon then sent word to Joshua, reminding him of their covenant and requested him to go and save them from these kings. At this time God told Joshua not to worry but that He would give all of them into his hands. Joshua and his army marched all night and came upon these kings. God fought against these kings by confusing them and Israel was able to kill them in large numbers. When the five kings and their armies started fleeing from the scene, God started pelting them with hailstones. More people died from the hailstones than from the sword.

Joshua made a prayer to God asking Him to stop the sun and the moon in their positions so that he would have enough time to finish the battle before it became night. God answered that prayer by doing this fantastic miracle for Joshua.

Once we realise that it is God who created the whole universe, such miracles won't seem to be impossible

18/02/2024

The Great Bible Story #45
Jericho and Ai
Jacob Ninan

Jericho was the first kingdom which Israel faced after they crossed Jordan. God wanted to give them a special victory the first time. So He asked Joshua to have some armed men lead a procession of seven priests blowing ram's horns followed by priests carrying the ark of the covenant. This procession was to go around the city wall every day for six days. During this time the people who were watching had to be completely quiet. On the seventh day, the procession was to go around the city seven times. At the end of the last round, when the priests blew their horns all the people were to give a loud shout.

The people of Jericho locked themselves up inside their city wall, watching the daily procession in fear. On the seventh day, when Israel gave a shout, the wall of Jericho came crashing down. Then the army of Israel walked straight in and looted the whole city! God told the people not to take anything for themselves from the city. They were to take the gold, silver and iron to be put into the treasury of God. Joshua instructed the two spies to bring out Rahab and her family. The rest of the people in the city were all killed, along with all their animals, and the city was burnt up.

The next city to be conquered was Ai. The spies reported that it was a small place and only about three thousand men would need to go to fight. But Israel was thoroughly defeated. Joshua and the people were flabbergasted and Joshua asked God why He had given them this defeat. God replied was that this was the result of sin among the people. Joshua asked God to show the culprit as they cast lots among the people. Finally one man called Achan was found, and he confessed that he had seen some gold, silver and a precious mantle in Jericho, coveted them, and taken and hidden them under his tent. Joshua and all the people stoned Achan and his entire family to death, and raised a heap of stones over them, in order to avert God's judgment.

Then Joshua sent many soldiers at night to go and stay behind Ai. In the morning, Joshua and some other soldiers attacked the gate of Ai, and as the people of Ai came to fight, they pretended to flee in defeat. The people of Ai left the city and ran after them, at which time the soldiers who were behind came and set the city on fire. Then Joshua and his soldiers turned around and destroyed the people of Ai!

We must know that the power is not in methods but in God! Instead of imitating methods, we need to trust God.

17/02/2024

The Great Bible Story #44
Crossing the Jordan
Jacob Ninan

The River Jordan was overflowing the banks at this time. The children of Israel were on the east side of the river, and they were to cross over to the west side to take possession of the land of Canaan as God had promised. When the people had prepared themselves for three days and got ready, Joshua told the Levitical priests to carry the ark of the covenant and go in front of the people, and the people were to follow, keeping a good distance from the ark. God told Joshua that when the soles of the priests touched the water, the Jordan would stop flowing.

Joshua declared to the people what was going to happen. He told them God was doing this to reassure them that He would deliver all the nations of the Canaanites into their hands. God did this also to show the people how He was with Joshua as He was with Moses. So the priests started walking carrying the ark, and as soon as their feet touched the water, the river stopped flowing. The water rose up in a heap for a long distance ahead of them. The priests stood in the river bed with the ark, till all the people walked and crossed to the other side.

Then God asked one man each from every tribe to go to where the priests stood, to each collect a big stone from the river bed, and to carry them to where the people were going to camp. They set up the stones in that place called Gilgal. God told them that whenever any of the children asked them later why the stones were there, they should tell them the story of how God had held up the Jordan for the people to cross on dry ground. Joshua picked up another twelve stones and set them up where the feet of the priests had stood on the river bed. After everyone had crossed over, the priests walked to the other side carrying the ark, and as soon as their feet were on dry ground, the river started flowing again as usual.

The general understanding many Christians have is that the Promised Land represents heaven, and Jordan death through which we pass to heaven. But it could also signify the spiritual life of a believer. After being saved from the life of sin (Egypt) and wandering in the desert (carnal living) which they could have avoided if they trusted God, crossing the river is to choose death to self and life with God. Occupying the Promised Land points to getting victory over the desires of the flesh just as the people of Israel had to fight to conquer the land and then occupy it. If we trust God, we too can avoid carnal living.

16/02/2024

The Great Bible Story #43
Joshua takes over
Jacob Ninan

After forty years of wandering in the desert, all the people from the generation who had been unbelieving had died except for Joshua and Caleb. When they came to the banks of the River Jordan beyond which the land of Canaan lay, Moses asked God if he could just cross over and take a look at the Promised Land because he was not going to be allowed to lead the people there. As a concession to Moses, God asked him to go on top of Mount Pisgah and look across the Jordan to have a glimpse of the land.

Now the time came for Moses to die, and God buried him in the land of Moab without any man knowing where. The leadership passed on to Joshua who had earlier been serving Moses and had shown himself to be full of faith and also faithful. God commissioned Joshua to lead the people of Israel across the Jordan and to give them their inheritance tribe by tribe. Joshua was to be strong and courageous because God would be with him just as He was with Moses, and he was to take care to follow all the instructions of God.

The tribes of Reuben and Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh (one of Joseph's sons) decided not to seek possession across the Jordan but to occupy the land on this side of it, on condition that they would fight for their brothers against the people of Canaan till everyone had captured their portion of the land.

When Joshua took charge, he told the people to get ready to cross the river in three days' time. He sent two spies to see the city of Jericho which was just across the river. When these spies went there, they stayed the night in the house of Rahab, a pr******te, which was on the city wall. She had come to put her faith in God after she had heard all the stories of how He had miraculously led the people of Israel from Egypt and how great kings could not stand against them. She told them that the people of Jericho were terrified of them. She requested them to spare her and her family when they came to conquer Jericho. The spies left early in the morning down the city wall through her window, asking her to tie a scarlet cord on her window so that they could identify it when they came to conquer.

The spies came back and told Joshua everything, saying what God had done to the people of Jericho to practically hand over the city to Israel. They also told him about Rahab and their promise to her. This was really good news to Joshua at the start of his campaign.

15/02/2024

The Great Bible Story #42
Moab tries tricks
Jacob Ninan

When the people of Israel came near Moab, Balak the king got worried, because he had heard all about what the God of Israel had done to all the kings of the nations. He didn't want to go and fight with them. He thought that a better way to attack Israel would be to curse them. He thought of a prophet called Balaam to do it for him. This Balaam knew the true God, but he seems to have been making a living out of prophecy rather serving God. When men came from Balak and told him that they wanted him to go with them to curse Israel, he told them he would check with God first. God told him in the night that he was not to go because Israel was a blessed people. Balaam told his guests in the morning that God refused to let him go with them.

When Balak heard this, he sent more important dignitaries carrying greater rewards with them to try and persuade Balaam. When Balaam saw all this, he hoped that perhaps God would change his mind! God was not pleased with him when he went to Him to seek His will. He told him to go, but only to speak the words He would give him.

As Balaam went towards Moab on his donkey God was angry, and sent an angel with a sword against him. He could not see the angel, but his donkey saw him and refused to go further. Now Balaam was angry with the donkey and started beating her. Now the angel went and stood in a narrow place where he was completely blocking their way. Seeing this, the donkey sat down under Balaam. Balaam beat her harder! Now God supernaturally made the donkey to speak, and she asked Balaam why he was beating her like this. He said he was so mad at her he wanted to kill her!

At this point God 'opened' Balaam's eyes and he saw the angel with the sword, and he bowed all the way down to the ground. He told God he had sinned, and was now prepared to turn back. But God told him to go ahead but to speak only what He told him.

Balak took Balaam to different mountains to look down from there on Israel and to curse them. But instead, he only blessed Israel more and more. He said no one could curse them because they were blessed of God. No witchcraft, black magic or sorcery would work against God's people. Balak was so disgusted he sent him away.

But greedy man that Balaam was, he suggested that the best way to curse Israel was to seduce them with Moabite women and then God's blessings would go away! That is what Balak did, and these women managed to turn many men of Israel to other gods.

14/02/2024

The Great Bible Story #41
Fiery serpents
Jacob Ninan

As the people of Israel were made to travel around the desert places, they became weary and once again began to complain against God and Moses. They told they hated the food God was giving them and wished they were back in Egypt. This time God sent many fiery snakes among them, and many died from the snake bite. When they realised what was happening, they went back to Moses and admitted that they had been complaining against him and God, asking him to plead with God to take away the snakes. What God did was to ask Moses to make a bronze serpent and lift it up on a tall pole. Now whenever someone got bitten by a snake, they had to look at this bronze serpent and they would be healed.

This was also again a symbol God made that would represent how Jesus would save the people. When Jesus was 'lifted up' on the cross just as the bronze serpent was lifted up on the pole, then it became possible for people who had been bitten by sin to look to Him for salvation. Even though the people of Israel who looked at the bronze serpent were saved from death, they did not seem to learn any lesson from it. In fact later on they made this bronze serpent into an idol and started worshipping it! And then it had to be destroyed by a God fearing king!

God continued to take care of them in spite of all these setbacks. As they went on with their journey they came across the Amorites. They sent a message to their king, Sihon, asking for permission to pass through his land. They promised not to cause any damage or to steal anything from the land. But Sihon came out to fight with them instead. God helped Israel to rout the Amorites, and they lived in that place for some time. When they moved from there and tried to go past Bashan, Og the king of Bashan came to fight with them. God defeated them just as He did with the Amorites. These two victories became landmarks in the history of Israel and they used to sing about God giving Sihon and Og into their hands as they sang their praises to God.

13/02/2024

The Great Bible Story #40
Moses and Aaron miss it
Jacob Ninan

God told Moses to collect twelve rods, one from each tribe, and to write the name of the tribe on them, with Aaron's name for the tribe of Levi. These rods were placed in the Most Holy Place overnight, and when they were taken out, Aaron's rod had not only blossomed miraculously but also brought out almonds. This was an indication of who God had chosen as His priest. This rod was placed inside the ark of the covenant as a permanent reminder.

As the people moved on in the desert and came to the place called Kadesh, Miriam died and was buried. The people grumbled loudly because there was no water there to drink. Following the pattern of what God had done earlier, He showed them a rock. Moses and Aaron were asked to gather all the people near this rock and then speak to the rock. Then God would produce water to come out from the rock so that it would be enough for the people and their animals.

But by this time Moses' patience had worn thin. He was upset with the people for their grumbling and shouted at them, calling them rebels. In his frustration and anger, instead of speaking to the rock as God had commanded him, he took his rod and struck the rock two times! God still sent the water abundantly for the people, but He was very upset with Moses and Aaron. He told them they would not be allowed to have the privilege of leading the people into the Promised Land of Canaan. Moses tried to plead with Him, but He was very firm because he had not demonstrated faith in front of the people but dishonoured Him.

The time came for Aaron to die. So God told Moses to take him and his son Eliezer to Mount Hor where he had to take off the High Priest's garments from Aaron and put them on Eliezer. Thus Eliezer became the next High Priest.

God has no favourites. Moses was the best man God had at that time. But when he failed, He would not show him any special favours. Also He always takes the sins of the leaders more seriously, because He has given them much and He expects much from them. In His dealing with Moses in this way, He left an example for everyone to see and learn from.

At the same time, He loved the people and could not let them suffer too much even though their leader had failed. He gave them water in spite of Moses' failure.

Jesus is the Rock which was struck for giving us salvation. Speaking to the Rock the second time without striking it again shows us that the death of Jesus is the way for us once for all.

12/02/2024

The Great Bible Story #39
Korah rebels
Jacob Ninan

Not having learnt from observing Miriam's mistake, Korah, Moses' cousin, rebelled against him along with Dathan, Abiram and On. Korah expressed his view that Moses was exalting himself over the people. He said that God was in the midst of Israel and that all the people were holy (set apart) for God. He wondered what made Moses think he was special! Two hundred and fifty leaders of Israel also took sides with Korah. When Moses heard this, he felt so hurt that he fell on his face in humility.

When he got up, Moses told Korah and his friends that God would show them by next morning who were really His. He asked them to take a censer each, put incense in them and burn them before God in the morning. He asked Korah if he was not satisfied with the responsibilities he had been given as a Levite but he wanted to be a priest also. When he called Dathan and Abiram they refused to come, asking Moses how he could lord it over them even after not being able to take them to Canaan.

The next morning, Aaron took his censer and stood with Moses, while Korah got together all the people against them. God suddenly appeared and told Moses and Aaron to move away so that He could destroy all the people with Korah. Again Moses humbled himself before God and pleaded with Him to be merciful to the people.

Moses then told the people to move away from the tents of Korah, Dathan and Abiram because God was going to bring destruction to them in an extraordinary way. The earth would open up under these three men and their families and they would be swallowed up into the depths alive!

As everyone watched, that was what happened. These three families and all that they had went down into the gaping hole that appeared, and then the earth closed up over them. All the people who saw this cried out in fear and rushed from the scene. God also sent fire from the sky and burned up the two hundred and fifty leaders also who had joined in this rebellion.

God asked Eliezer the priest, son of Aaron, to take up the censers of the people who had perished in the fire, and beat them up into sheets to plate the altar, to serve as a reminder that people should not take it upon themselves to serve God in whatever ways they wished.

But the next day the people grumbled against Moses for killing God's people! This time God sent a plague into the camp and thousands of people died. Aaron was just able to make atonement for them so that no more people perished.

11/02/2024

The Great Bible Story #38
Israel makes a choice
Jacob Ninan

When the people of Israel were nearing the Promised Land of Canaan, they decided to send some spies into the land to get a report of the place and the people there. So God asked Moses to choose twelve men, one from each tribe, to go out as spies. These men went and they were very impressed with what they saw as the produce of the land. In fact they brought back a single cluster of grapes which needed two men to carry between them on a pole! All twelve agreed that it was indeed a 'land flowing with milk and honey' just as God had promised. But ten of the spies reported that there were some giants in the land before whom they looked like grasshoppers. The sight of these giants took away all their boldness, and they tried to dissuade the people not to venture into Canaan. But the other two spies, Joshua and Caleb, were different. They put their faith in God who had made the promise and said that God would take them into the land, and these giants they had seen there would become like bread before Israel.

The people of Israel were confused. Even though they had started out from Egypt hoping to get into Canaan, the thought of the giants destroyed their faith. They became angry with Moses and Aaron for putting them into this predicament, and they wanted to find some leaders who would take them back to Egypt. Joshua and Caleb did their best to persuade the people to follow God, but the people became so angry that they wanted to stone them.

At this point the glory of God appeared in front of the tabernacle, and God spoke to Moses. He was so angry with the people that He wanted to destroy them right there and lead Moses to become a great nation. Once again Moses pleaded for the people and reminded God about His promise and what other nations would think about Him.

God agreed to spare them. But He decided that all the people who were twenty years or older, who had seen all the marvellous works of deliverance that He had done for them and yet refused to believe in Him, would not be able to enter the Promised Land. Now they would have to wander around in the desert for forty years till they all died. But He mentioned that Joshua and Caleb would surely be able to enter.

The people suddenly changed their mind and decided to go in to Canaan anyway. But they got defeated by the Canaanites and had to come back in defeat.

This teaches us that it is not enough to start out in faith, but we also need to continue in faith till the end.

10/02/2024

The Great Bible Story #37
Miriam oversteps
Jacob Ninan

God had picked up Moses to lead the people of Israel from Egypt to the Promised Land, overseen his training in Egypt and his spiritual training in the desert place while he was taking care of his father in law's sheep, and led him step by step in his leadership. His elder brother Aaron was now the High Priest. His sister Miriam was a prophetess among them, and she had led the women in singing and dancing after God saved them through the Red Sea. She may have assumed for herself some special position of honour just because she was older than Moses and had been the one who had taken care of him as a baby. Anyway, one day she got together with Aaron and criticised Moses on the point of having married a foreign woman. As she talked about it she mentioned that everybody should recognise that God had spoken through others like her also, and not just Moses.

That was not what God thought about Moses. In His opinion, Moses was the most meek and humble man on earth at that time! Moses had not exalted himself, and God had had to persuade him strongly to accept this position of leadership. Miriam had certainly overstepped her position and assumed things for herself, and she had also influenced Aaron to stand with her at this time. This was something God could let them get away with, not only for their sake but also for the sake of teaching the rest of the people of Israel through example.

God manifested Himself in a pillar of cloud and stood in front of the tabernacle and called Moses, Miriam and Aaron to Him. He told Miriam that Moses was in a special category of people. While God would normally speak to His prophets through dreams or visions, He spoke to Moses face to face. He had shown Himself to Moses in different ways and revealed many deep secrets about Himself. He asked Miriam how she had dared to talk against this Moses.

They could all sense God's anger as He spoke. He went off, and when the cloud was withdrawn from there, they saw that Miriam had become leprous! Aaron was very much distressed, and pleaded with Moses to ask God to heal her. Moses did that. But God replied that she ought to be kept outside the camp for seven days as a matter of discipline. Afterwards she was healed, and she was allowed to come in again to the people. The people of Israel stayed put in that place without moving till she returned.

This was one of the instances where God demonstrated the importance He gave for respect for authority.

09/02/2024

The Great Bible Story #36
Sacrifices, their significance
Jacob Ninan

Expanding on the Ten Commandments, God instructed Israel through Moses on many different practical rules for personal conduct, relationship with others, etc. They would come to Moses whenever they had doubts, and then he would either clear it up or ask God what was to be done. Moses' father in law once saw how Moses was being pressed down by the demands made on him by the people, and suggested that he should delegate much of his responsibility to elders among the people, and they should bring to Moses only what they could not handle. This brought a great relief to the situation.

God also set up a system of sacrifices which people ought to do along with the priests. They could bring animals or grain to offer to God as a token of their gratitude to Him. The priests would offer these to God on the bronze altar. Sin and guilt offerings were necessary if anyone did wrong, and there were different instructions about how these were to be done. Even if someone had done wrong and came to realise it only later, he still had to bring a sacrifice for it whenever he became aware of it.

We see later that the blood of animals could not really take away any sin. So this arrangement of sacrifices was only to help people to recognise the seriousness of their sins, repent and set things right. It was only the blood of the sinless Son of God who became man that was sufficient to pay for the sins of the world. Till that became available, these animal sacrifices functioned as a picture of the ultimate sacrifice that was to come. At this time God just 'covered' the people's sins when they brought their sacrifices in faith, and finally wiped them away when the blood of Jesus was shed on the cross.

Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, the High Priest would make a sacrifice for his own sins and the sins of the people, and take some of the blood into the Most Holy Place and sprinkle it on the mercy seat and in front of it. This represented what Jesus would do later, when He presented His blood before the Father as the ransom for the people. When this happened, the rituals of the tabernacle (and later the Temple) became irrelevant, and this was signified by the veil in the Temple in Jerusalem getting torn supernaturally from top to bottom when Jesus breathed His last on the cross. Now the way to the 'Most Holy Place', the presence of God, has been thrown open to anyone who will go there with the blood of Christ, the Lamb of God.

Address

69 Hutchins Main Road
Bangalore
560084

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when The Great Bible Story posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Place Of Worship

Send a message to The Great Bible Story:

Shortcuts

Share